Gemini's Rogue does come with a few trigger warnings some of which are discussed in the excerpt below: Violent/stalker ex, dysfunctional family, homophobia, mentions of past cheating in a previous relationship (not committed by MCs), accident/injury, threatening behavior (not between MCs)

Growing up with a strictly religious father in a house with little joy, or love, left Grady Stoltz eager to get out. At the first opportunity that presented itself, they left home with a young man who swept them off their feet, used their preferred pronouns, and accepted that they were gender fluid and wished to shed the name Grady and all of the constraints of their former life. Dubbed Gemini, they never expected to return to that farm or the rural community they’d been raised in, but life took some unexpected turns, and they found themselves returning four years later. A little older, a little wiser, and the new owner of a house full of memories and regrets.

Cleaning the place up is only the first step towards deciding if they wish to sell it, or if they wish to stay and try and make a life for themselves in a place they’ve never felt as if they belonged. Haunted by the memories of the father who could never accept them, the mother they lost at a young age, and their own shortcomings and failures, they are in a very dark place when Rogue arrives.

Charismatic when performing in front of an audience, yet shy and vulnerable when faced with the prospect of being alone in a crowd, Rogue seeks shelter with Gemini on their middle-of-nowhere farm, hoping for a new beginning and a chance to see if the tiny spark that had flared between them once before, can be kindled into a roaring flame.

Two battered souls, one tattered farmhouse, an old dog, a cranky chicken, several misspoken words, and one crazed ex-husband combine in an explosive combination of truth, lust, dreams, and vengeance. Will the force of it tear Gemini and Rogue apart, or will it leave them closer than they ever dared to hope?

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“Were we expecting company?”

“Not that I know of,” Gemini replied, putting down the bail of mesh they’d been unwrapping and climbing into the back of his pickup truck for a better look. “Looks like an SUV. Maybe they’re lost.”

“Could be, guess we’d better head around front and see if we can help them find where they’re trying to go.”

Gemini leaped over the side of the truck and dusted off their hands before heading around the house, Fester woofing up a storm at the crunch of gravel on the road. The last people they expected to see emerge from the SUV after it had parked was their ex in-laws. They were surprised enough when Naill climbed out from the back, but seeing Liam step out was an actual shock. They’d seen him what, a handful of times after the wedding, and they’d barely exchanged more than a few words in all the time they’d been married to his brother. When Rogue’s uncle emerged from the middle seats, Gemini let out a long, low whistle.

“Well holy shit, looks like your family decided to stage an intervention,” they said, reaching out and catching Rogue’s hand. He was shaking, and not little trembles either. They practically had to tug him along those last few feet to meet them, and the whole way, they could feel him shaking harder.

“They’re gonna drag me back,” he whispered, turning frightened eyes toward them.

They’d never seen such terror in his gaze before. A surge of anger shot through them at knowing it was the people who were supposed to love him the most that scared him so badly.

“Over my dead body,” they told him, keeping their voice low and giving his hand a firm squeeze before stepping in front of him.

“You’re trespassing,” he informed them. “You’ve got sixty seconds to get back in your truck and take off or I’m calling the sheriff.”

“We did not come all this way for you,” Angelique informed them. “We came for our son. To bring him back home where he belongs and see to it that he gets the help he needs. As far as I’m concerned, you removing yourself from our family was the only healthy choice you could make.”

Blinking, Gemini locked eyes with her. “Wait…what?”

She gave them a soft smile and inclined her head towards Naill. “My son told me all about what happened between you and Randy, and what he did. I’m glad you didn’t stick around and continue to allow him to lie, cheat and run around like he was doing. I…we should have put a stop to it a long time ago, instead of putting the blame on everyone else, including you.”

They glanced between Naill and Rogue and back again. “So you really didn’t make the phone call about your brother.”

“Told you I didn’t,” he muttered, sounding a bit hurt that there had still been some lingering question in their mind.

“I did,” Naill admitted. “He had someone great who didn’t deserve the shit he pulled, and yeah, I know that makes me a hypocrite, but, you loved him, like, really loved him, I could tell, and, he wasted that. So, yeah, I sent you that message so you could catch him. I just never thought you’d hook up with Ryan.”

“It’s Rogue.”

“It’s Ryan. That’s the name I gave you when you were born and that’s the only name I will ever call you by,” his mother admonished.

“Why’d you bother to name me in the first place,” Rogue muttered beneath his breath, but it wasn’t low enough to keep his mother from hearing.

Gemini watched her eyes narrow as she drew herself up to her full, though still rather petite, height.

“I have had just about enough of your attitude over the past few years,” she told him sternly. “You want to hate me for giving birth to you, fine, but you don’t need to strike out at your brother by hooking up with his ex and there was absolutely no excuse for shoving your father through a bay window!”

“Not my father!” Rogue snapped. “He’s made sure I’ve known it ever since he found out! And you’re wrong, I don’t hate you for giving birth to me, I hate you for never standing up for me, never believing me when I told you he hurt me, and never once trying to protect me from him!”

“Not this again,” she grumbled, waving her hand dismissively. “This is exactly why you need to go back to the hospital and let them put you in a therapy group. You need help. Medication, counseling, something to get to the root of your lies so you’ll stop telling them.”

“They. Aren’t. Lies!”

“Enough!” his step-father roared, stepping toward him, which only made Rogue flinch and try to step back, pulling them with him. He was gripping their shoulders enough to hurt, but there was no way they were telling him to let go. They could feel him shaking and hear how rapidly his heart was beating.

“You have done nothing but try and rip this family apart since you were a kid,” his step-father said. “Instead of being grateful you had a home, a career, and the opportunity to travel that most kids never get, you decided to make trouble at every turn. I swear to god, if your old man would have been willing to take you, we’d have been more than happy to send your ass to live with him!”

“Is that what you wanted too, Mom?” Rogue asked softly.

She shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t have wanted to send you away, but I would have done it if it meant peace in the house and the end of all the chaos and hate you attempted to stir up.”

“Then why come here?” he asked. “I’m away, far away, halfway across the damn country, none of you ever have to look at me, or talk to me, or acknowledge my existence ever again. Just go back home and leave me in peace.”

“Because this isn’t right and you know it,” Rogue’s uncle said. “Whatever is going on between you and your parents, you don’t really want to drag your brother, or Gemini, into it, and hurt more people in the process.”

“Whatever’s going on?” Rogue growled. “Really, are you actually going to stand there and pretend you weren’t the one to come pick me up off the kitchen floor after their dad beat me all to hell?”

“Ryan,” the tone held a warning edge, and a note of fear. Gemini studied the older man closely, noting the way he seemed to be looking at everyone and everything but Rogue.

“Tell. The. Truth!”